Recorded Joy·Rakuchū / Shijō-Kawaramachi

Matsubara, Kyoto's Old Gojo Bridge

Today's Matsubara-dōri follows the line of the old Gojō-ōji avenue. By tradition, the "Gojō Bridge" where the young Ushiwakamaru (Yoshitsune) is said to have met the warrior-monk Benkei stood here, at the site of the present Matsubara Bridge. It's said that Toyotomi Hideyoshi shifted the bridge south to its current spot when he raised the Great Buddha Hall at Hōkō-ji, and the older crossing was renamed Matsubara. The legend is only one of several accounts, but the street's long life as an approach to Kiyomizu-dera is not in doubt.

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These notes come from desk research. Local traditions vary.